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kathierif_ficTitle: Fly Away
Author: Kathie
Fandom: CSI:NY
Characters: CSI:NY general cast
Prompt: 076. Rebirth
Rating: FRAO
Warning: Spoilers for Run Silent, Run Deep, Slash, Threesome, serious AU
Pairing: Don/Danny, Danny/Mac, Mac/Don
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Where are we going, Rico?” Danny asked calmly and tried to ignore the gun that was still pressed to his collarbone. “You realize that you can’t fly with your feathers glued together like that, right? Right?”
He got no answer, but if he was honest, he hadn’t expected one. They spent the elevator ride in silence, the only sound in the small cabin was their breathing. Danny moved his shoulders briefly, to ease the tension. The twitching under his skin only got worse.
“It’s all Louie’s fault,” Rico finally growled, when they reached the roof, and dragged Danny towards the edge. “It’s all his fault, and he deserves to know what I’m going through!”
Danny stopped dead in his tracks. “Rico…” he said quietly. “Louie is dead.”
Rico stopped as well. He wiped a hand over his face before regarding Danny with a cool look. “So is Salvator,” he said. Danny noticed how he tried to sound cool and composed, but his voice cracked slightly right through the middle of the sentence.
“He shot himself, Rico,” Danny said quietly. “It’s true.”
He concentrated on the man, and pretended not to notice how the other man’s hand with the gun trembled. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not. He and Sonny and Louie –“ Danny swallowed. “They killed a man, and your brother regretted it ever since. He called Mac before he killed himself.”
“No,” Rico whispered weakly. “Danny…”
Danny made a step forwards and took the gun from unresisting fingers. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, and Federico Zabo didn’t offer resistance when he cuffed him and then pulled him in a rough hug.
He took the time to take a deep breath. His back hurt like hell now, rippling spasms that stole his breath.
“Danny!”
Don hastened to reach Danny, who had moved away from the cuffed suspect once he recognized Don’s voice. His shoulders were tense under his jacket.
“Hey, Dan,” Don said softly and put his hand on Danny’s back, like he’d done in the past months when he wanted to calm Danny.
“It’s his brother,” Danny finally said tiredly. “Nico Pasadoria insulted his brother, and he took revenge. God, Don. Louie is dead. He died…” He trailed off and swallowed thickly.
“I’m sorry, Danny,” Don said quietly. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s not your fault, you know.”
Danny turned around and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a flash of pain crossed his face, and he arched his back.
“Danny?” Don asked in alarm and took a step closer to grip Danny’s shoulder reassuringly and hold him upright.
Danny bit his lip in obvious pain and buried his nails in Don’s forearm.
“What’s wrong?” Don asked. “Danny?”
“Don’t know,” Danny panted. “Don…hurts…”
With a sinking feeling Don realized two things: Danny never had come around to call his doctor, and there was no way they could get to the hospital in time.
“Calm down,” he instructed and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He did the first thing he could think of.
He tried to call Mac.
After all, there was a reason why Mac was the number one on his speed dial.
Danny’s pain-filled grimace made him realize once more that he had no idea what to do now. He continued the soothing massage between the other man’s shoulder blades, hoping to relieve the ache a bit.
The storm-like noise of powerful wings filled the air around them, an eternity later, and for the first time since the first sign of pain on Danny’s face, Don allowed himself a small sigh of relief. Only seconds later Hawkes kneeled down next to where Danny had fallen to his knees, and Mac gripped his shoulder tightly.
“Let’s take that jacket and shirt off, see what we’re dealing with,” Hawkes said calmly, and six hands helped Danny to get out of his clothes, while Danny himself couldn’t do anything more than moan in pain.
Hawkes hands glided over his skin, over the pronounced twitching, and he gave Don a brief look. “Is that the reason for your questions?” he asked and pressed down. Danny’s body snapped away from him in a painful looking arch.
Don just nodded.
Hawkes shook his head. “No time,” he said. “Does anyone have a knife?”
Mac nodded. “Rule number eight. Always have a knife,” he muttered and handed his knife over.
“No way – “ Danny gasped and tried to twist away, but Mac and Don caught him and tried to stop him, while staring at Hawkes. “Can’t we get him somewhere more comfortable?”
Hawkes shook his head. “Not enough time, moving him now would cause only more pain…” his hands strayed back towards Danny, who bared his teeth and growled at him.
“Danny!” Mac finally bellowed, but Danny didn’t stop his struggle. He even doubled his efforts to get away from them. Mac couldn’t blame him. He would try to fight, too, if someone would try to cut in his back with a knife that wasn’t sterile. But this was important.
“I’m filing a report,” Danny gasped, “For abuse!”
“Messer!” Don finally barked.
It was more effective. Danny stopped moving and looked at Don with wide, panic filled eyes.
“It’s going to be okay, I promise. Just stay calm and trust Mac, you hear me?”
Danny gasped, but he managed to lift his eyes to Mac’s face, and long seconds later, he moved his head and nodded once.
“I need you to hold him immobilized,” Hawkes’ calm voice interrupted. “Without anesthesia, and with only your knife, I have to do this the old-fashioned way and hope that we can keep him stabilized until we can get him to a hospital.”
“Why not get him to a hospital and then…” Don started, but Hawkes shook his head. “No time.”
Mac nodded and smoothed a hand over Danny’s sweaty hair before gripping his wrists tightly. “Let’s do it. You’re going to be fine, Danny.” He looked deep into Danny’s eyes, pulled him closer to Don’s body and braced himself.
Another twitch, but Mac held on. Don wrapped his own arms around Danny’s waist.
“Do it!”
Hawkes’ hand settled on Danny’s back again, in the middle between his shoulder blades, pressing him forwards against Don’s chest, while weighting the knife in his other hand. His years as a surgeon had taught him that this was a delicate affair – especially in the middle of nowhere, on the roof of the lab. If he cut too deep, the shock and the blood loss might kill his friend; if the cuts were too shallow, muscles might be ripped, delicate bones deformed, and the struggle might weaken Danny enough to kill him, as well.
He was only dimly aware of Don’s soft words of comfort, whispered softly against Danny’s ear. The outline of Danny’s back, the violent twitch under the lightly tanned skin, was what he was focused on.
He knew he couldn’t wait for longer.
Sending a brief prayer to Icaros, he placed the sharp blade against Danny’s back, directly under his shoulder blade. The first cut had Danny howling in pain and almost jerking out of Mac’s and Don’s firm grasp. Blood flowed freely, but with the next violent twitch, the first wing broke free.
Hawkes pulled carefully at the weak bone, straightening it and not giving himself the time to marvel at the wonders of the human body. Instead he focused on his second cut; on making it as swift and as accurate as he could. This time Danny only whimpered softly and Hawkes saw that the second wing was struggling weakly to break free of its protective sheath of muscle and flesh. Carefully he gripped this one as well, pulling and coaxing it to spread out.
Danny made a broken sound deep in his throat and collapsed against Don. From his back weak, bloody wings stretched, slimy, too small, and wet, but they were wings.
Red wings.
They fluttered slightly in the soft breeze, and Hawkes ran a fingertip along the edge of one. They would grow, he was sure. As far as he could tell, they were healthy, perfect wings.
Only then did he allow himself to take a deep breath. He grabbed Danny’s abandoned shirt and pressed it against the sluggishly bleeding wounds.
“Danny?” he asked softly.
Danny only whimpered.
Mac released his wrists and nodded. Only now did Hawkes notice that Mac’s own wings fluttered in barely suppressed nervousness, and Don’s grimace of pain. Danny had obviously bitten down on his shoulder in his agony.
They just needed to get Danny to the hospital now, to get the cuts cleaned and stitched up, and to make sure that the wings really were healthy.
The sound of a siren close by made him smile.
It was going to be all right.
Chapter 9
Author: Kathie
Fandom: CSI:NY
Characters: CSI:NY general cast
Prompt: 076. Rebirth
Rating: FRAO
Warning: Spoilers for Run Silent, Run Deep, Slash, Threesome, serious AU
Pairing: Don/Danny, Danny/Mac, Mac/Don
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Where are we going, Rico?” Danny asked calmly and tried to ignore the gun that was still pressed to his collarbone. “You realize that you can’t fly with your feathers glued together like that, right? Right?”
He got no answer, but if he was honest, he hadn’t expected one. They spent the elevator ride in silence, the only sound in the small cabin was their breathing. Danny moved his shoulders briefly, to ease the tension. The twitching under his skin only got worse.
“It’s all Louie’s fault,” Rico finally growled, when they reached the roof, and dragged Danny towards the edge. “It’s all his fault, and he deserves to know what I’m going through!”
Danny stopped dead in his tracks. “Rico…” he said quietly. “Louie is dead.”
Rico stopped as well. He wiped a hand over his face before regarding Danny with a cool look. “So is Salvator,” he said. Danny noticed how he tried to sound cool and composed, but his voice cracked slightly right through the middle of the sentence.
“He shot himself, Rico,” Danny said quietly. “It’s true.”
He concentrated on the man, and pretended not to notice how the other man’s hand with the gun trembled. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not. He and Sonny and Louie –“ Danny swallowed. “They killed a man, and your brother regretted it ever since. He called Mac before he killed himself.”
“No,” Rico whispered weakly. “Danny…”
Danny made a step forwards and took the gun from unresisting fingers. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, and Federico Zabo didn’t offer resistance when he cuffed him and then pulled him in a rough hug.
He took the time to take a deep breath. His back hurt like hell now, rippling spasms that stole his breath.
“Danny!”
Don hastened to reach Danny, who had moved away from the cuffed suspect once he recognized Don’s voice. His shoulders were tense under his jacket.
“Hey, Dan,” Don said softly and put his hand on Danny’s back, like he’d done in the past months when he wanted to calm Danny.
“It’s his brother,” Danny finally said tiredly. “Nico Pasadoria insulted his brother, and he took revenge. God, Don. Louie is dead. He died…” He trailed off and swallowed thickly.
“I’m sorry, Danny,” Don said quietly. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s not your fault, you know.”
Danny turned around and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, a flash of pain crossed his face, and he arched his back.
“Danny?” Don asked in alarm and took a step closer to grip Danny’s shoulder reassuringly and hold him upright.
Danny bit his lip in obvious pain and buried his nails in Don’s forearm.
“What’s wrong?” Don asked. “Danny?”
“Don’t know,” Danny panted. “Don…hurts…”
With a sinking feeling Don realized two things: Danny never had come around to call his doctor, and there was no way they could get to the hospital in time.
“Calm down,” he instructed and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He did the first thing he could think of.
He tried to call Mac.
After all, there was a reason why Mac was the number one on his speed dial.
Danny’s pain-filled grimace made him realize once more that he had no idea what to do now. He continued the soothing massage between the other man’s shoulder blades, hoping to relieve the ache a bit.
The storm-like noise of powerful wings filled the air around them, an eternity later, and for the first time since the first sign of pain on Danny’s face, Don allowed himself a small sigh of relief. Only seconds later Hawkes kneeled down next to where Danny had fallen to his knees, and Mac gripped his shoulder tightly.
“Let’s take that jacket and shirt off, see what we’re dealing with,” Hawkes said calmly, and six hands helped Danny to get out of his clothes, while Danny himself couldn’t do anything more than moan in pain.
Hawkes hands glided over his skin, over the pronounced twitching, and he gave Don a brief look. “Is that the reason for your questions?” he asked and pressed down. Danny’s body snapped away from him in a painful looking arch.
Don just nodded.
Hawkes shook his head. “No time,” he said. “Does anyone have a knife?”
Mac nodded. “Rule number eight. Always have a knife,” he muttered and handed his knife over.
“No way – “ Danny gasped and tried to twist away, but Mac and Don caught him and tried to stop him, while staring at Hawkes. “Can’t we get him somewhere more comfortable?”
Hawkes shook his head. “Not enough time, moving him now would cause only more pain…” his hands strayed back towards Danny, who bared his teeth and growled at him.
“Danny!” Mac finally bellowed, but Danny didn’t stop his struggle. He even doubled his efforts to get away from them. Mac couldn’t blame him. He would try to fight, too, if someone would try to cut in his back with a knife that wasn’t sterile. But this was important.
“I’m filing a report,” Danny gasped, “For abuse!”
“Messer!” Don finally barked.
It was more effective. Danny stopped moving and looked at Don with wide, panic filled eyes.
“It’s going to be okay, I promise. Just stay calm and trust Mac, you hear me?”
Danny gasped, but he managed to lift his eyes to Mac’s face, and long seconds later, he moved his head and nodded once.
“I need you to hold him immobilized,” Hawkes’ calm voice interrupted. “Without anesthesia, and with only your knife, I have to do this the old-fashioned way and hope that we can keep him stabilized until we can get him to a hospital.”
“Why not get him to a hospital and then…” Don started, but Hawkes shook his head. “No time.”
Mac nodded and smoothed a hand over Danny’s sweaty hair before gripping his wrists tightly. “Let’s do it. You’re going to be fine, Danny.” He looked deep into Danny’s eyes, pulled him closer to Don’s body and braced himself.
Another twitch, but Mac held on. Don wrapped his own arms around Danny’s waist.
“Do it!”
Hawkes’ hand settled on Danny’s back again, in the middle between his shoulder blades, pressing him forwards against Don’s chest, while weighting the knife in his other hand. His years as a surgeon had taught him that this was a delicate affair – especially in the middle of nowhere, on the roof of the lab. If he cut too deep, the shock and the blood loss might kill his friend; if the cuts were too shallow, muscles might be ripped, delicate bones deformed, and the struggle might weaken Danny enough to kill him, as well.
He was only dimly aware of Don’s soft words of comfort, whispered softly against Danny’s ear. The outline of Danny’s back, the violent twitch under the lightly tanned skin, was what he was focused on.
He knew he couldn’t wait for longer.
Sending a brief prayer to Icaros, he placed the sharp blade against Danny’s back, directly under his shoulder blade. The first cut had Danny howling in pain and almost jerking out of Mac’s and Don’s firm grasp. Blood flowed freely, but with the next violent twitch, the first wing broke free.
Hawkes pulled carefully at the weak bone, straightening it and not giving himself the time to marvel at the wonders of the human body. Instead he focused on his second cut; on making it as swift and as accurate as he could. This time Danny only whimpered softly and Hawkes saw that the second wing was struggling weakly to break free of its protective sheath of muscle and flesh. Carefully he gripped this one as well, pulling and coaxing it to spread out.
Danny made a broken sound deep in his throat and collapsed against Don. From his back weak, bloody wings stretched, slimy, too small, and wet, but they were wings.
Red wings.
They fluttered slightly in the soft breeze, and Hawkes ran a fingertip along the edge of one. They would grow, he was sure. As far as he could tell, they were healthy, perfect wings.
Only then did he allow himself to take a deep breath. He grabbed Danny’s abandoned shirt and pressed it against the sluggishly bleeding wounds.
“Danny?” he asked softly.
Danny only whimpered.
Mac released his wrists and nodded. Only now did Hawkes notice that Mac’s own wings fluttered in barely suppressed nervousness, and Don’s grimace of pain. Danny had obviously bitten down on his shoulder in his agony.
They just needed to get Danny to the hospital now, to get the cuts cleaned and stitched up, and to make sure that the wings really were healthy.
The sound of a siren close by made him smile.
It was going to be all right.
Chapter 9